Gout Arthritis

This is an  painful affliction arthritis mainly affecting men, about one million of them in the United States alone. Uric acid build up, due to an internal chemical malfunction, forms crystals that get stuck in a joint, generally the big toe, and become inflamed. Gout is a condition that causes sudden and severe attacks of arthritis pain, redness and swelling of joints. Gout is a condition has been well known for many centuries. Most often it affects a single joint in one episode, often the big toe. About 9 out of 10 affected individuals affected by gout are men over the age of 40. The peak age of attacks is 75 years, but it can occur in young individuals on rare occasions.

Causes of gout

This is one form of arthritis that the cause is well understood. The causes of gout is due to accumulations of uric acid within the fluid of your joints. Uric acid is a waste product of many foods that we eat. In order to properly digest food, and rid our body of waste, we produce substances such as uric acid to transport waste material. Ultimately, uric acid is excreted via the kidneys in urine. However, when the transportation of uric acid is impaired, and uric acid accumulates in the blood stream, the condition called gout may result.

The impairment of uric acid excretion is often due to a hereditary problem, but can also have other causes. When the uric acid level becomes too high for an individual, arthritis painful attacks of gouty arthritis, or joint arthritis pain, can result. Other symptoms can include kidney stones, and, ultimately, kidney failure. It is interesting to note that there is not a direct relationship between uric acid levels in the blood stream and gout. The transport and and method of concentration of the uric acid are issues for additional study. Some individuals with gout have normal or near normal blood levels of uric acid; other individuals have very high blood levels of uric acid with no symptoms of gout. It appears to be entirely dependent on the individual.

Why are some people more susceptible to gouty attacks? As stated previously, some individuals have a hereditary condition making them more susceptible to gout; other risk factors also contribute to having a gouty attack. Among these are obesity and sudden weight gain, abnormal kidney function, excessive intake of alcohol (especially "binge" drinking), and certain types of cancer. Some medications, such as thiazide diuretics to control blood pressure, and purines rich foods such as organ meats (e.g. liver, kidney), herring, anchovies, and to an extent, all meat products.

How is gout diagnosed?

Most often the diagnosis of gout can be made by a description of the gout symptoms and medical history. Your doctor will want to know about risk factors that may be contributing to the onset of this attack. This may be sufficient to make a diagnosis of gout, especially if you have had a gouty attack before.

The diagnosis can be confirmed through sampling the joint fluid by inserting a small needle into the affected joint. Under the microscope, joint fluid from an affected joint will be full of tiny uric acid crystals that look like small needles. Blood tests may also be performed to check for uric acid levels (however, as stated above, these need not be elevated in gout, but often are), and kidney tests may be done to check your kidney function.

Gout Treatment

Gout treatment for a initial attack is usually with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs). These medications, such as over the counter Motrin, or more potent prescription versions, are not always well tolerated by some patients. In those who cannot use NSAIDs, a steroid medication can also be used, either injected or oral. Another medication, colchicine, is very effective in the immediate treatment of a gout attack, but often causes nausea and stomach upset, so many patients do not take this route.. Future attacks of gout can be prevented by taking a medication called allopurinol. This medication is started after the gout attack has ended.  Pantothenic Acid (An oily acid, widely found in plant and animal tissues, that is a component of Co A and a part of the vitamin B₂ complex) has been used for years as a gout remedy. Taking 200 mg four times a day breaks down the excess uric acid that leads to the condition's arthritic leg arthritis pain.

Breaking News in the Treatment of Gout

Wednesday, December 7, 2005

The first new drug for gout in 40 years has shown promising results in a large trial. Patients who got febuxostat had lower levels of serum uric acid than those getting allopurinol, the standard medication for the painful condition, according to a report in the Dec. 8 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. The trial included 762 people with gout was the largest study of patients with gout that has ever been done.

In the trial, participants took either allopurinol or one of two different doses of febuxostat. The treatment goal was achieved by 21 percent of the people taking allopurinol -- 53 percent of those taking 80 milligrams of febuxostat a day, and 62 percent of those taking 120 milligrams a day of the new drug.

A major difference between the two drugs is that allopurinol is metabolized by the kidney, while febuxostat is metabolized by the liver, Becker notes. That might make the new drug preferable for people with gout who have weak kidney function, he says.

TAP Pharmaceutical Products applied for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to market febuxostat a year ago. The agency has not yet acted on the request.

How can I prevent gout?

Individuals often learn what causes their own gout attacks. As previously discussed, certain foods with high concentrations of purines can be avoided. Drinking alcohol should be moderated. Prescription and non-prescription medications should be reviewed with your doctor. Other common causes of a gout attacks include dehydration, injury to a joint, surgery, and a febrile illness. Prevention should focus on avoidance of these situations. If surgery is needed, discuss with your doctor whether prophylactic medication to prevent a gouty attack is appropriate.

Read on for both medical and natural treatment approaches

Some of our Moist Heat wraps  for Arthritis   ....